Nut-lock.



A. R, PEFFEBS.

NUT LUCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21. I917.

1,274,077. Patented Ju1y'30, 1918.

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.' UNITED STATES PA E T orF oE.

ANDREW ROYPEFFERS, or AUnoRa LLI'NoIs, ssIcmon or ONE-HALF 'ro'rnnnERIcK C. SCHULTZ, OF CONGRESS BARK, ILLINOIS.

NUT-LOCK.

To all whom z't-may concern: A

Be it known that I, ANDREW RoY Pnrrnns,

a citizen of the United States of America,

and residentof Aurora, Kane county, Illi- 1101s, have invented a certam new and useful Improvement in Nut-Locks, of which the following is a-specification. 7

My invention relates to nut-locks in general, but-more particularly to'those for use 10 on rail-joints Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved form of nut-lock which will provide suflicient spring-pressure to prevent rotation of the nuts, which can be cheaply manufactured and easily applied, and which will tend to" insurethe requisite certainty and reliability It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and com-- binations tending to increase the general efiiciency and"de"si'rability of a nut-lock of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a horizontal section ofa railjoint having a nut-lock embodying the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure of the rail-joint andnut-lock shown'in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is avertical sectionon line 3 -3 in" Fig.2. a. a a

Fig. i is a perspective of the leaf-spring or resilient sheet-metal member involved in As thus illustrated, the rails A and B are arranged end to end and connected together 40 by splice-bars C and D and transverse bolts 1, 2, 3 and 4, in the usual and well-known manner. Preferably, the alternate bolts are turned with their heads in one direction, and the intermediate bolts are arranged with their heads in the opposite direction, in the manner shown.

The leaf-spring E is made of resilient sheet-metal, such as steel properly tempered for the purpose, and is formed with upper and lower flanges e, these flanges being par allel and extending nearly to the opposite ends of the spring. The end-portions of said spring, starting at about where the flanges e terminate, are bent outward, and

are provided with notches 5 to engage the Specification of Letters Patent.

and lower flanges e, andthe intermediate or body-portion of the spr ng substantially straight and flat onthe inner side thereof.

, In use, these springs are-preferably applied in the manner shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. As thusvillustrated, one spring is held Patented "J l 30, 191

pp on filed May 21, 1917. Serial No. 169,816. I i

inpl'ace bythe head? of the bolt 2, against the outer side-of the splicebar D, this bolt.

extending through the bolt-hole 6 of said spring. The notches5 of this spring'engage the cylindric sides of the bolts 1 and 3, and are flexedf inward against the;splice-' bar bythe nuts 8-and'9 ofthese bolts. The notches 'at the ends ofthe spring provide points 10 which engage, the inner sides of the nuts, each notch partially embracing the cylindric boltQ The other spring, at'the other side of the'raihjoints, is 1 clampedinplace by the head 11* ofjthe bolt 3, andthe ends of this spring are engaged and flexed inward by the nuts'12'and 13 of the bolts" 2 and 4, in a mannerthat will be readily un' ders'tood." When the nutsB and 9 are tightened, the end-portions "of jthe spring at this side of the rail-joint are flexedflinward, 5

and this gives the spring a tendency to -bulge or how outward at the cenjterfhut thistendthe outer surface of the splice-bar. This I tendency on the'partof thespringtobulge' the construction of the nut-lock.

nuts 12 and 13 are tightened, so that each bolt has its head utilized to clamp the middle portion of a spring in position against the outer surface of one of the splice-bars, and the nut of each bolt bears against the resilient end of one of the springs. With this construction, the spring-pressure against the inner sides of the nuts is suflicient to ency is counteractethztnd prevented by the head 7 of thebo'lt Qfs -thatthe middle {p.or- 1 tion ofthe spring is retained flatwise againstprevent a loosening of the bolts, the points 10 engaging the inner sides of the nuts and thereby preventing rotation of the latter except when forcibly turned with a wrench.

The bolt-holes 6 in the springs are preferably oblong, and extend longitudinally of the springs, and the holes in the splice-bars are of the same oval or oblong shape. The bolts, it will be seen, have short shank-portions 14 which are oval or oblong in crosssection to fit the oval holes in the springs and splicebars, and with this arrangement the rotation of the nuts will not turn the bolts, as the bolts are held against rotation by their oval shank-portions when the nuts are tightened or loosened.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A nut-lock for rail-joints, comprising a leaf-spring having out-turned ends to engage and be flexed inward by the nuts, when the bolts of the rail-joint are tightened, and having means including a stifli'ening formation to prevent the middle portion of said spring from bowing outward.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which said middle portion has a bolt-hole therein, so that a bolt of the rail-joint will hold the middle portion of the spring when the ends thereof are pressed inward.

3. The structure of claim 1, in which said formation comprises a longitudinal flange 011 said spring to stilfen it between the flexi-,

ble end-portions thereof.

4. The structure of claim 1, in which said formation includes top and bottom longitudinal flanges on said spring.

5. The structure of claim 1, in which said formation includes upper and lower flanges on said spring, and in which the spring has a bolt-hole between said flanges.

6. In a rail-joint, the combination of a splice-bar, bolts extending through the bar and rail, and a leaf-spring having a nonflexible middle portion clamped to the splice bar by one bolt and having out-turned ends flexed inward and clamped by two other bolts to the splice-bar.

7. In a rail-joint, the combination of a splice-bar, bolts extending through the bar and rail, and a leaf-spring having its middle portion clamped to the splice-bar by one bolt and having out-turned ends flexed in' ward and clamped by two other bolts to the splicebar, in which said spring is directly engaged by the head of the one bolt an y the nuts of the other bolts.-

8. In a rail-joint, the combination of a splice-bar, bolts extending through the bar and rail, and a leaf-spring having its middle portion clamped to the plice-bar by one bolt and having ()TltrtTIIJ-TQCT ends flexed inward and clamped by two other bolts to the splice-bar, in which the ends of said spring or" the nut, and means to hold said spring J in position. i

10. The combination of rails and a splicebar at each side thereof, bolts extending through said rails and bars, a leatspring at one side held in place against one bar by the head of one bolt and having its ends pressed inward by nuts on other bolts, and a similar leaf-spring at the other side held in place by the head of one bolt and having its ends pressed inward by nuts on other bolts, so that some of said bolts are each engaged at one end by the middle portion of one spring and at the opposite end by the end of another spring.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 16th day of May, 1917.

ANDREW ROY PEFFERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained 10; five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

